Several automotive companies in the United States used the "Suburban" designation to indicate a windowed, station wagon type body on a commercial frame including DeSoto, Dodge, Plymouth, Studebaker, Nash, Chevrolet, and GMC. The (Westchester) Suburban name was in fact a trademark of U.S. Body and Forging Co. of Tell City, Indiana, which built wooden station wagon bodies for all of these automobile and light truck chassis and more.
Chevrolet began production of its all-steel "carryall-suburban" in 1935. GMC brought out its version in 1937. These vehicles were also known as the "Suburban Carryall" until GM cut the name to simply "Suburban". GMC's equivalent to the Chevrolet model was originally named "Suburban" as well, until re-branding it to "Yukon XL" for the 2000 model year.
With the end of production of the Dodge Town Wagon in 1966 and the Plymouth Suburban station wagon in 1978, only General Motors continued to manufacture a vehicle branded as a "Suburban", and GM was awarded an exclusive trademark on the name in 1988. The Chevrolet Suburban is one of the largest SUVs on the market today. It has outlasted competitive vehicles such as the International Harvester Travelall, Jeep Wagoneer, and the Ford Excursion. The latest competitor is the extended Ford Expedition EL, which replaced the Excursion.
